Puerto Rico plunged into darkness again as island-wide blackout hits
Puerto Rico was hit by another massive power outage Wednesday, leaving the United States territory in the dark for a second time in four months, officials said.
Local power authorities, Genera and LUMA, recorded a system failure at approximately 12:40 p.m. that affected service island-wide.
In a post on X, LUMA Energy said it could take two to three days to restore service to 90% of customers -- and that the priority for now is to restore power to critical facilities, such as the Centro Médico hospital in the capital San Juan.
The private power company, which is responsible for power transmission on the island, said the massive outage appears to have been caused by a combination of factors, including a "failure in the protection system as initial trigger" and vegetation on a transmission line between the areas of Campaleche and Manatí, along the northern coast of the island.
"This sequence of failures triggered a chain of events that resulted in an island-wide outage," LUMA said in the statement.
The outage affected 1.4 million customers of LUMA Energy, impacting 76% of its customer base, the company said.
"This event once again highlights the fragility of the electrical system, something LUMA has pointed out since the beginning of its operations," the company said in the statement. "We remain committed to transforming it into a safer and more reliable system for all customers in Puerto Rico."
Earlier in the day, LUMA Energy said the Palo Seco plant, located just outside San Juan, came back online around 3 p.m., "which represents a key step toward system recovery."
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) claimed in a social media post that over 400,000 Puerto Ricans were without electricity.
"The three million American citizens of Puerto Rico have long been denied affordable and reliable electricity—despite paying some of the highest utility rates in the United States," Torres said. "Access to dependable power—a basic right most Americans take for granted—remains out of reach for millions on the island. As we speak, more than 400,000 Puerto Ricans are without electricity in the wealthiest nation on Earth. That is a national disgrace."
This outage is the latest in a series of significant blackouts that have plagued the island in recent years, following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, which destroyed much of the power grid. Gov. Jenniffer González, who was traveling, stated that officials were "working diligently" to resolve the outage.
The island's aging power infrastructure has been a persistent source of frustration for residents, who face frequent outages and some of the highest electricity rates in the U.S.
In December, Puerto Rico experienced an island-wide blackout on New Year's Eve when an underground power line failure plunged the island into darkness for two days.
Power outages have become so common in Puerto Rico that many residents have installed solar panels and batteries in their homes and businesses. The ongoing instability of the power grid has also led to protests, with many criticizing LUMA, which took over power transmission and distribution in 2021.
ABC News' Jack Moore contributed to this report.
